Bracket Madness

In the beginning of Bracket Madness there were eight acts, impossibly chosen from a decade with so many worthy to compete for the Greatest Artist of the 00s title. One by one, they dropped off: *NSYNC beating the Backstreet Boys, only to be beaten themselves by Britney Spears in the next round; and Eminem topped Jay-Z before being knocked by Linkin Park. Left with Britney versus Linkin Park, and with more than 124,000 votes were cast between them, we at last have a winner: Linkin Park is your Greatest Artist of the 00s.

Accepting the crown in their absence, Linkin fan Bryan Bruner joked that the band was “too busy screaming at the world and saving it at the same time” to be there themselves. Only sort of joking, though. Linkin Park may have been the Greatest Artist of the 00s, but they are great artists still in this next decade. Still out and about, on tour and making new music, they continue to expand the boundaries of rock and roll and inspire fans with their hard working lyrics. So here’s to their Greatest Artist of the 00s win, and to a decade more of greatness!

We are deep into the final round of Bracket Madness and but hours away from crowning the Greatest Artist of the 00s, and things are close. Only Britney Spears and Linkin Park remain, and with more than 95,000 votes already cast, Linkin Park leads — but by only 100 votes. So now is the chance to have your say: There is no denying that Brit and Linkin Park were both great artists of the 00s, but if there can only be one Greatest, who should it be? Vote now because polls close TODAY at 4 PM EST. Read more…

It’s the final round of Bracket Madness and we are only one step away from crowning the Greatest Artist of the 00s! Britney Spears rocked Round 2 scoring a total of 20,396 votes while *NYSNC received a low score of 4,466 votes. Sorry JT, you had nothing on Brit this round. Facing Britney in the final round is rock group Linkin Park who barely made the cut over Eminem, racking up only 107 more votes than the rapper. So close. So who’s it gonna be? The Princess of Pop or the ultimate genre bending rock-rap group?

It’s on! Bracket Madness polls have closed on Round 1, and we are one step closer to crowning The Greatest Artist of the 00s. The battle of the boy bands racked up 71,000 votes, with *NSYNC beating out the Backstreet Boys; and 360,000 votes were cast between them, but Britney Spears has trumped Beyoncé. That leaves us with an extra special match-up and an extra difficult choice for Round 2: Britney Spears versus Justin Timberlake! *NSYNC or Britney Spears? This pairing may pull at your heart strings and resurface emotions that have been buried for more than a decade now, but a decision must be made: who should it be? Read more…

This round of Bracket Madness‘ third match-up draws a battle between popular Aught rockers Nickelback and Linkin Park. In a decade where pop mostly reigned supreme, both these rock groups were able to establish sounds and styles of their own, and to sell tons and tons of records. Nickelback have filled arenas with their melodic, post-grunge rock, while Linkin Park have paved the way for rock-rap groups a many. If only one of these two great rock groups can move on to the next round of the Greatest Artist of the 00s, who should it be? Read more…

The next Bracket Madness pairing finds two leading ladies pitted against each other, each singing for their chance at the Greatest Artist of the 00s title: Britney Spears and Beyoncé. In a decade lucky for its many talented artists, these two both earned their Queen B status as singers and stars alike, making hits and moments, and setting a high bar for all those who will follow. Only on, though, can be the greatest. Who should it be?

And so Bracket Madness begins again, this time pitting your favorite artists from the last decade against each other because at competition’s end there can be but one VH1 The Greatest Artist of the 00s! First up, we have *NSYNC versus Backstreet Boys, the great boy band battle. The turn of the millennium heralded a golden age of pop, and both *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys arrived on the scene already prime boy band specimens, complete with Mickey Mouse Club alums, glossy singles, and sweet choreographed dance moves. They weren’t the same, though, and the masses were quickly divided — each with their preferred band, each with their favorite boy. And now there can only be one. Who should it be? Read more…

Earlier this month, after a tough three rounds of voting, we crowned Mariah Carey as The Greatest Artist Of The 90s. That settled, we are looking forward to the near past: the ’00s. The new millennium brought a whole new slew of greats, as rock and rap and otherwise broke into the Top 40 and anyone at No. 1 seemed possible. Who’s next in line for the crown?